DCSD in the News – April 2015

Board to formalize stance on state testing — 4/27/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
The Douglas County School Board adopted a resolution aimed at supporting parents who don’t want their children to take state-mandated tests. It calls for creation of a new policy to ensure students, parents, teachers and schools aren’t penalized for not participating.

Feds reject Colorado request to give districts a break on opt-outs — 4/24/15 (Denver Post)
Colorado schools could face cuts to federal education funding or other consequences after the U.S. Department of Education on Friday rejected the state Board of Education’s request to give a break to districts with large numbers of students opting out of state tests.

Charter school settles with humanist group — 4/24/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
SkyView Academy charter school has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed against it by the American Humanist Association. But the Douglas County School District, also named in the suit alleging endorsement of religious programs, continues to fight the allegations.

District not ready to put bond on ballot — 4/24/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
After 87 meetings with more than 1,000 community members on the school district’s long list of facility concerns, the Douglas County School Board said more work should be done before it can decide whether to put a capital-needs tax issue on the November ballot.

School board rips union staff survey — 4/24/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
Douglas County School Board members lambasted the recent staff survey funded by the teachers’ union, calling it an attack on staff, pointing out its low response rate and questioning the objectivity of the agency that conducted it.

School backer no stranger to Douglas County — 4/20/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
Merlin Holmes expresses pride in the charter schools he’s helped launch, though public records show his contracts with three of those schools — two of them in Douglas County — were terminated.

Union-backed school survey finds distress — 4/16/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
A Douglas County School District staff survey commissioned by the teachers’ union showed low morale, dissatisfaction with district administration and a lack of support for the district’s performance-evaluation system, among other findings.

Former principal proposes K-12 charter — 4/16/15 (Lone Tree Voice)
A K-12 charter school that its founder said would emphasize “purpose-driven education” could open in Castle Rock in 2016. Proponent Merlin Holmes hasn’t yet secured a site for the proposed Milestone Academy, but an application for the school is under review by the Douglas County School District.

Jeb Bush praises school district’s efforts — 4/13/15 (Douglas County News-Press)
Potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who donated to the campaigns of several Douglas County School Board members, said during a stop in Denver that he supports the district’s court-stymied voucher program.

Goings going, but his impact won’t be gone — 4/10/15 (Douglas County News-Press)
As principal Jerry Goings walks down the halls of Highlands Ranch High School on a spring morning, students call out his name. Tall, graying and lean, broadcasting a hard-to-come-by blend of geniality and authority, the school’s leader is tough to miss. Many of the teens go out of their way to get his attention, and he acknowledges as many as he can.

Ponderosa principal crossing district lines — 4/10/15 (Douglas County News-Press)
Ponderosa High School may be the smallest of Douglas County’s nine neighborhood high schools, but that’s among its best features, says outgoing principal Chuck Puga.

Larkspur rallies around its school — 4/6/15 (Douglas County News-Press)
Larkspur town council members and parents successfully rallied to protect their elementary school after recent threats of budget and staff cuts. But some are still worried about the school’s future.